Granola with Shredded Coconut & Maple

My Granola Recipe Notes
Who doesn't love granola. This is my go to recipe. The oats are a bit chewy and the nuts add crunch. It's sweet, coconut-y and delicious. Use any combination of nuts, seeds & dried fruit. Chocolate chips are a worthy addition if that is your thing. I don't always mix my dried fruit into the entire batch. Instead I just add it whenever I'm using a portion so that I can switch it up if I want to. If I'm in the mood for raisins one day, dried cranberries the next, or some chocolate here and there I can make it happen. I love granola with vegan yogurt or oat milk, or as a garnish on smoothie bowls or even sprinkled into a green salad with fresh berries. I also sometimes build dessert parfaits, especially with my strawberry granola. Layers of fresh strawberries, vanilla pudding, coco whip, and granola. Simple and yum. 

In the past I have used coconut oil in my recipe, but most recently I didn't have any, and because everything is so expensive I chose to go with canola oil, which I already had on hand. Honestly, that's probably what I'm going to do from now on so that's what you will find in the recipe. Also worth mentioning, coconut oil isn't the right choice for people who want to eliminate saturated fats from their diet. 

Strawberry Granola  
For whatever reason making my granola recipe during strawberry season has become a ritual. 2 pints of strawberries sliced and spread out onto the four trays that fit in my dehydrator is the right amount for this recipe. I will let them dehydrate for a few hours then I start checking on them. Inevitably some (the thinner ones) are ready first. They should be chewy and pliable when ready. 

Of course, you can use whatever dried fruit you want! Next time, I'd love to try this with dried mangos and maybe pumpkin seeds. I rarely buy dried mangoes because they are so expensive, but I really like "Elan" brand. I always read the label and avoid ones with added sugar. (the ones I have had with added sugar simply don't taste as good!) WIth that being said, I'd love to find a good sale on mangoes and dehydrate them myself.

To dehydrate my strawberries, I sliced 2 pints put them in my dehydrator at 140F. After 3 hours some of them were ready. However, some of the thicker ones took 4 times longer. I just keep checking every couple hours and removing any that are ready. For the record, dehydrated strawberries taste like candy, but are definitely a lot better for you!

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